DMB

A couple weeks ago Elliot had a little baby boy who he named Jonas. When I first had a chance to talk to him after the baby was born, he told all about the baby and the the delivery. Then he was quick to tell me about this new album of Dave Matthews Band that he could not get out of his head. While this does not reflect on Elliot as a father, it does show how much he loves music. While participating in the excitement and drama of child birth, Elliot was sing "Shake me like a monkey, baby / Forever I'm yours..." or maybe he was singing to his boy, "...I'll be right here, lying in the hands of God..."

Anyway, After his recommendation I immediately checked it out. And just as quickly it was stuck in my head as well. I was sing to myself, "It's why I am, it's why I am..." And it is not just the fact that it is stuck in my head, it is really all I want to listen to. While I have been forcing myself to listen to other things, many times I have found myself straying not far but to another Dave Matthews Band album.

I have thought a lot about what I want from my music and near the top of the list is, I want to be amazed. I want to feel the music. For example, when I heard the bridge in the song "Funny the Way It Is" it gave me the chills. And that is what I want from music. I want to be blown away by the genius of it.

In fact that is the best word to describe what I want, "genius." I think Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King is genius. While the whole album is good, the genius can be seen most easily to me in the following songs:

Shake Me Like a Monkey
Funny the Way It Is
Why I Am
Dive In
Seven

I write this in an attempt to free myself from the grasps of this music. And probably more effectively catch others who brave the music in the snare.

Mr. Mastadon Farms

"Birds fall from the window ledge above mine." This is a line from my favorite cake song. How could anyone not like Cake. They did a cover of "I will survive" for craps sake. In the song Mr. Mastadon Farms the dude talks about how the birds falling from the window ledge and then flapping their wings at the last second is somehow linked to his need to see them flap their wings at the last second or else it means that his life would not be able to go on. He needs to see their last second flight. It is a genius song. It is weird though. Cake is like They might be Giants for cool kids. They might be giants are cool but lets face it only weirdos listen to them or own their albums (self proclaimed weirdo here.) But Cake gives you just enough weird mixed with some awesome funky shiz (small funk ensemble with 0ne trumpet) and a unique talky voice. The song is Mr. Mastadon Farms. The band is Cake. Check it. Word. (I'm a nerd)

Finally Some New Assignments

I am going to try a little bit different format. I am just going to give you an artist this week and you can comment on the artist or choose a song by that artist. Make sense?

Isaac - Cake

Elliot - Andrew Bird

Eric - You can choose whatever you want.

Let me know what you have chosen and I will update the player above. Hopefully we can get back into it. Next week Elliot will make assignments.